The First Phoenix

When Shi Anxia woke up, she found that she was reborn at the age of fourteen, and the funeral of her brother Shi Yunxing was being held in the house.

She was dressed in white fox fur and walked slowly in the corridor of the Hou Mansion. The white lantern in the corridor started to sway slightly when she flicked it with her finger.

The maid Nan Yan hurriedly put Mrs. Tang into her hand and whispered, "Girl, don't be too sad. Hold on tight to yourself first."

sad? Shi Anxia looked at the gray sky and smiled.

She wasn't sad. The one who died was not her brother at all, but Aunt Wen's son.

Aunt Wen and Shi Anxia's mother, Tang, gave birth on the same day, so she exchanged her son's favor and became the legitimate son of the Hou family. Shi Anxia's brother Shi Yunqi became a bastard and was tortured by Aunt Wen since he was a child.

Shi Anxia went to the memorial hall and saw Mrs. Tang's eyes red and swollen from crying, and she was kneeling on the futon in grief.

"Mother, I heard that you haven't slept for a few days. I'll help you go back to your room to rest." Shi Anxia winked at the maid and forcibly took Tang away.

Tang cried and struggled all the way, "Xing'er! My Xing'er! I won't go back, I want to protect my Xing'er."

Shi Anxia helped Tang onto the bed, tucked in the quilt for her, and dismissed the maid before whispering in her ear, "Mother, don't cry. Shi Yunxing is not your son, nor is he my biological brother."

When Tang heard this, her sobs were half choked in her throat, "You! What nonsense are you talking about?"

Shi Anxia sat on the edge of the bed, reached out to hold Tang's hand, raised her eyes as deep as an ancient well, and stated clearly again, "I say, Shi Yunxing is not your son at all, but Aunt Wen's son. "

Tang's tears were hanging on her cheeks, and she was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth for a long time.

Shi Anxia was not in a hurry. She waited for her mother to slowly digest this shocking news and just gently stroked her slender back.

After a long while, Tang finally raised her red and swollen eyes, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and asked, "Xia'er, how did you know?"

Shi Anxia had already thought of her words, "My daughter wanted to go to her grandmother's courtyard just now to say hello, but she overheard her grandmother talking to Aunt Wen."

"Your grandmother also knows?" Tang's tears welled up again.

"More than just knowing! Aunt Wen is my grandmother's biological niece. You and Aunt Wen gave birth on the same day. Without my grandmother's intervention, how could she have replaced the two children so smoothly?" Shi Anxia was not angry after resurrecting her life. , and I’m glad that everything came in time.

Tang's doubts were gone, but she couldn't hold back her anger. She threw off the quilt and got out of bed, saying in a hoarse voice, "I'm going to ask for justice!"

Shi Anxia hurriedly stopped Tang, "Don't worry, mother, we can seek justice slowly. If grandma insists that this is not the case, what can we do? The most important thing at the moment is how to get brother Yun Qi in an open and just manner. Come back. I heard that Brother Yunqi was beaten half to death by Aunt Wen with a whip, and he is still locked up in the woodshed."

Tang's chest felt stagnant upon hearing this.

As the second wife of the Marquis's family, she never treated concubines or their children harshly. She even quietly showed kindness to the child named Shi Yunqi.

The child was really pitiful. He was thin and frail, and very quiet.

She had once heard Aunt Wen scold her son, "You are just a lowly bastard. If you want to live a good life in the future, you must respect Young Master Yunxing in everything! Even if he wants you dead, you must accept it!"

At that time, Mrs. Tang was quite moved after hearing these words.

It is indeed rare in the world for a concubine to reach this level.

It turns out that the truth is like this! That so-called "lowly bastard" is her biological child!

Tang's heart was torn with pain, even more painful than hearing the news of Shi Yunxing's death. She couldn't wipe away her tears. "Xia'er, what do you think we should do now?"

Shi Anxia raised her hand to wipe away Tang's tears, "Mother, if you believe in me, just leave it to me. My daughter will definitely handle it properly."

Mrs. Tang always felt that the daughter in front of her looked different from what she had seen in the past. Her eyes were deep and calm, like a thousand-year-old well, calm and yet inexplicably reassuring.

She nodded, her eyes turning red again as she lowered her eyes.

Shi Anxia pondered for a moment and asked, "Who is organizing the funeral ceremony now?"

Tang replied, "Your grandmother wanted me to leverage the power of the Duke of the Protectorate's Mansion to make the funeral more lavish, so she gave it all to me."

So, let's take advantage of the power of the Duke of Huguo's Mansion! Shi Anxia's eyes flashed, "Mother, can you lend me Aunt Zhong for a while?"

"You can deploy the people from Haitangyuan as you please." Tang's eyes showed a hint of urgency. "Can you bring your brother over earlier?"

"Don't worry, mother, I will make arrangements, don't let anyone know the clues." Shi Anxia whispered, "Now Aunt Wen's eyes and ears are all over the Marquis Mansion, we can't make any mistakes."

Tang suppressed her urgency and obeyed, "Xia'er, mother listens to you."

Shi Anxia immediately sent Nanny Zhong to the Duke of Huguo's Mansion to deliver a letter to her aunt.

As dusk began to fall, a large procession of more than thirty people arrived at the Duke of Huguo's residence. The maids, servants, guards, and stewards, all dressed in white mourning attire, came to the memorial hall of the mansion and began to work.

The dark night was completely enveloped. The memorial hall can no longer be accessed by anyone at will.

In the Rose Courtyard, Aunt Wen's face was filled with sorrow, and she was also crying. "Mother Liu, have you found out what the Tang family is doing?"

Madam Liu replied, "Don't panic, Auntie. Tang was so heartbroken she fainted several times and is now back in her courtyard resting. I heard that Miss Anxia is now in charge of the funeral rites. The Duke of Huguo's Mansion has sent people to help, apparently to welcome Master Hongda."

Aunt Wen's expression finally softened. "It's long overdue. Xing'er is the grandson of the Duke of Huguo. How could they just ignore him? They invited Master Hongda to perform a ritual to appease his soul. It seems they've finally taken notice."

"Don't worry, Auntie. With Master Hongda's blessing, Young Master Xing will surely be reborn into a good family in his next life, and enjoy endless wealth and glory throughout his life."

Aunt Wen felt sad when she heard this. She had been planning and waiting for sixteen years, and it was finally about to bear fruit, but the people were gone, and it all came to nothing.

After a while, Mother Liu reported again that Master Hongda had come, but he stayed for less than half an incense stick of time and left with a group of monks.

Aunt Wen didn't understand. "It takes at least an hour for the soul to be resurrected. How come it's so fast?"

Madam Liu shook her head. "There's no way to get any more information. Those guarding outside are all from the Duke of the Protectorate's Mansion. I can't get in, and I don't know what's going on inside."

"Let's go and have a look." Aunt Wen tied up her hair, put on her coat and braved the wind and snow to go to the memorial hall.

An unfamiliar mother blocked her way and said, "Please stay. No one can enter the memorial hall without Miss An Xia's order."

Aunt Wen's face darkened. She has been in charge of the palace for several years, and she is like a fish in water in the palace. No servant can disrespect her.

Now that he was blocked by a slave, he couldn't swallow his breath, "Go and call Shi Anxia out! Let's see if she can let me in!"

The mother remained calm and steady, blocking the way. "Excuse me, who are you in this mansion? Judging from your attire, you look like a concubine. To a legitimate young lady, a concubine is just like us—a servant. What's the custom for you to address a young lady by her name?"

Aunt Wen was so angry that her eyes turned green.

How dare the servant of the Duke of Huguo's mansion call her a servant! Which servant could wear such fine clothes? How could she look like a concubine?

She was so angry that she habitually raised her hand and slapped him.

But the slap remained in the air and didn't come down for a long time.